The Pirate and The Jackal
by JuniperWrites
Summary: Maxie has bitten off more then she can chew with a co-worker and is desperate for Spinelli's help. Will this help Spinelli's attempt at acquiring Maxie's affections?


Spixie 01

Maxie Scorpio walked into her house to find a man waiting for her.

"Todd!" she exclaimed, nearly jumping a foot off the ground in the process. She knew this man, unfortunately.

"Hey toots. I got a favor to ask you." He said while putting his cigarette out on her windowsill.

"First, don't call me toots. Second, don't behave like a neanderthal while asking someone a favor and finally, I just got off a shift in which Lulu may as well not have even showed up so I am not in the mood to do anything else but sleep." she said while slumping into a chair.

"Well, sleep'll have to wait. I want my pot now!" he exclaimed advancing on her.

"Hey, I have your stuff so don't touch me!" she glared at him.

"Oh I'm sorry, You are right. I have people to do that for me anyway." he said as she relaxed, catching her unawares.

"I have people too." she threatened right back.

"Oh yes, I am aware of Mr.Corinthos and Mr. Morgan. You think I don't think ahead, huh bitch? Now, where's my shit! I need a fix like yesterday!" he yelled grabbing her wrists.

"I don't intend on enabling you so do what you will to me..."

She woke up screaming. "Just a nightmare." she relaxed, but only slightly because while the event was a dream the fact of Todd's drugs being in her possession was reality. A few weeks back, Todd started working on the magazine as well. A photographer straight out of college he and Maxie instantly became friends. It did not seem suspicious at the time. He told her that a few months ago he was prescribed them for medicinal purposes and has since become addicted. His parents were unaware of it and they were coming to visit. He had asked her to hide the drugs while they were in town for the two weeks of their stay. Now they were gone and soon she was too...permanently. She hid the drugs under Damian Spinelli's bed. She figured that would be the safest place until she could think of a better plan. Now, however, she regretted forgetting her original plan of flushing it all. She felt so horrible for doing this to...

"Jackal here. Hello?" The Jackal, aka Damian Spinelli, said into his cell phone after finishing his third mahjong game. "Hello?" he repeated before hanging up.

A few seconds later Maxie's phone rang. "Hello?" she politely responded to the caller.

"What's up? Are you okay?" Spinelli asked his best friend/ major crush.

"Um, Spinelli, you called me." Maxie tried to play dumb, Spinelli knew better. They don't call him 'God of cyber-space' for nothing.

"Maximista, you called the Jackal then hung up. I have caller id on my cell phone you know. Did you call my communication device on accident?"

"...Spinelli, can I come over?" she asked, wishing to tell him, not his ears. He's always been loyal with her secrets.

"Sure, I am working on something right now but it can wait. This sounds important. See you soon."

"Thank you Spinelli." she said to him. "_I hope you won't hate me._"she thought to herself bitterly before grabbing her wool coat and purse and heading out the door.

Spinelli had sort of lied to her. He didn't actually have anything he was working on, he just wanted her to know that if he did he would drop it in a second for her troubles. _When will this unnrequited love end? It's lonely here _he thought bitterly.

When she arrived, she was bearing orange soda and his favorite barbecue chips.

"Please, enter Casa de Stone Cold and Jackal. Allow me to take your coat for you." he said before climbing the stairs to his room.

"So what were you working on? Solitaire?" she yelled as he disappeared around the corner.

He flinched as he gently set her coat on his bed, after sniffing it quickly. When he came back downstairs he smiled sheepishly at her. "Actually, it was Mahjong. Maximista is very perceptive. How did she know of his deceipt?" he asked, sitting beside her on the couch.

She looked at him curiously. "You weren't being deceptive. Sonny and Jason are both out of town so you wouldn't have any jobs."

"You caught on. Will you partake in orange gifts of the gods with me whilst you regail the jackal with your woes?" he said already grabbing one for her.

She obliged. "Spinelli, I'm not sure where to start. I guess it all began a few weeks ago...and now he's running around my dreams threatening Sonny and Jason if I don't return his drugs." she rushed and babbled in her 'upset Maxie' way.

"Well, first tell the Jackal where his buried treasure is." she gave him a sad I-don't-think-that's-a-good-idea look. "If you don't tell me how can I properly help you? Come on, please tell your best friend where the x is?" he asked grabbing her hand and rubbing it gently.

She looked at him odd because of his analogy then softened when she realized what that would mean. She stood up and walked up the stairs into his room. He followed, albeit a bit dumb-founded.

"Huh?" Spinelli responded, rhetorically, but followed anyway.

She put her hands on one side of his bed then asked him to help her push the bed over. "That's enough." she told him when they had moved it enough to reveal a rug that's new and matched his decor perfectly.

Without sayng a word, Maxie picked the rug up and set it behind her. This revealed a loose floor-board that she pulled out. Spinelli gasped. This was where she hid it? Spinelli moved to remove the bag but maxie grabbed his hand. "Please don't. My finger-prints are on the bag, that's how it should remain. It's my fault you are dragged into this situation. If anyone is going to go to jail for this it's going to be me, alone. I want your help but not you to go to jail for me, okay?"

"While the jackal appreciates your attempt to help me limit my wrap sheet, as it were, I don't see why either of us would go to jail. We are holding the non-medicinal drugs so lets just return it to the pirate."

"No, I am done enabling people. I did it for Lucky and if he can survive withdrawal then so can this freak...Todd...the pirate."

"So, the pirate's namesake is Todd is it? You said he works for the Fashionista as well? How long has he worked for her before asking Maximista's help burying the treasure?"

"I don't know, about a month? Why, are the Jackal's gears of thought rotating?" she tried at jackal-tonque.

"Is the blonde one mocking the jackal PI?" he said putting his hand on his chest in a mock-hurt gesture.

"Not really. Just playing. Gotta get my fun where I can these days." She leaned back against his headboard. She took her shoes off, feeling comfortable in his room, in his presence.

Spinelli's hands instinctively made their way to her feet and started to massage them. "Okay, so what department does the pirate work in?" Spinelli said unawares of his ministrations.

Maxie, however, was fully aware. She was disappointed when he stopped. "Keep massaging and I'll talk."

"Oh, I was unaware of my ministrations. But, Maximista is pleased?" she nodded. "In that case I shall continue while you talk."

She sighed then answered his question. "He is one of our photographers. He's straight out of college. I think he recognized my name and face from the news when Lucky was using. We got along instantly. I didn't think it was strange at the time. You know, I think he's Irish." she said this last part as if it was somehow supposed to be relevant.

"Then let's start by cross-referencing his name with the known mob/crime bosses in the area. Assuming the pirate is working in the area, of course. What?" he asked when she started laughing. It was a rich laugh almost as if the laughter has been bottled up and whatever he just said let it free.

"Nothing, it's just that it's so cute how you give everyone nicknames!"

"Well, I call him the pirate because he's looking for his buried treasure. It's just easier if I meet more Todd's." he explained.

"Okay, anyway, should we get lunch first? I haven't had a thing to eat all day."

"Well, Jackal hasn't either except for ..." he nodded his head to the bag of chips they both finished.

"Then why are we still here?" Maxie leaned over the bed to get her shoes. Spinelli watched her back muscles reflex then relax. How would they feel under his fingers?

They had a quiet lunch, or rather didn't talk about the situation. They talked about their work and people there and other such small talk. Spinelli counted 14 smiles and 4 minutes of full laughter Maxie made.

When they arrived back at Spinelli's he cracked into "geek-mode". Cross-referencing, jotting down notes on a small composition notebook. Maxie fell asleep one of his chairs. Spinelli turned from his laptop to tell her some information he found and smiled as she breathed softly.

She must have sensed him looking at her because she woke up. "Did you find anything?"

"Oh, yes, actually. I found 3 addresses of people he was known to work with not far from Port Charles. Whenever you are up to it we shall stake them out."

"Great." they sat in silence for a few minutes. Spinelli went back to work and Maxie thought. Finally, she talked. " Spinelli, I don't want to be alone."

"I'm right here." Spinelli said putting a comforting hand on her knee.

"No, I mean, I don't want to go home. Can I stay here tonight? With you?"

End of chapter one What do you think? Next chapter has more adventure including...ha kidding, you didn't think I'd acually tell you, did I? Consider this a Friday hahaha GH doesn't have anymore previews so why should this be any different. Please keep reading I promise it will be awesome!


End file.
